


Mistakes and Lessons

by just_another_fandomite



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-20 22:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20682599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_another_fandomite/pseuds/just_another_fandomite
Summary: A/N: Oooooo look I’m finally posting something 🙃 I’ve been in a pretty big rut lately, creatively, and have been struggling to continue Differences and Similarities, so I stepped back from that for a bit and tried to crank this one-shot out as a change of scenery. It’s the first time I’ve written for Alucard, so forgive me if it’s rough.... the next chapter for Differences is almost done as well :)





	Mistakes and Lessons

A rhythmic banging echoed throughout the stark silence of the dark castle, shattering the peacefulness of the lonely building.

The single tenant of the structure sighed resignedly from where he was sitting in the library, hearing the sudden disruption despite how far away from the front doors he was. Setting his book down carefully, Alucard stood from his favorite chair and started making his way toward the sound, irritation lining his movements. 

Finally reaching the doors, Alucard tugged one of them open, but only far enough for him to see who the unwanted guest was, but where they could not see in.

“It is three in the morning, whoever or whatever this is, it had better be important-” he muttered in the direction of the visitor, but his words cut off abruptly when he saw who was on his doorstep, and proceeded to yank the door open fully and gape at the image before him.

It was Y/N, a local from a nearby village who had learned of Alucard and his castle’s existence awhile back and had come to learn more about the magic abilities they had began to manifest. The two eventually considered themselves friendly acquaintances, and Alucard had come to look forward to their meetings. Only now, it was clear that the nature of this particular visit was not for social reasons.

Y/N stood before him on his doorstep, hunched over slightly and with a strong grip on their lower ribs, their breaths uneven and ragged, as if they had been running. When they looked up as the door swung open, Alucard cringed inwardly at the bleeding scrapes and bruises decorating their skin, starting with a freshly-forming black eye and split lip. Scratches peppered their arms and hands, but Alucard could see that the handful of surface injuries had already stopped their bleeding. 

The worst of the injuries, and the one that caused him the most panic, was the one underneath Y/N’s hand on their ribs, fresh blood still seeping under and through their fingers, the clothing around the area already thoroughly stained in crimson.

Alucard was at a rare loss of words, but before he could move to help, Y/N gave a small half smile at the sight of him and spoke up finally, their words quiet and strained, lined with exhaustion.

“I didn’t know where else to go.”

And with that, they proceeded to collapse upon the doorstep at Alucard’s feet.

—————————-

I was first aware of the shifting. My head felt like the tide, like a heavy monotonous flow churned inside my skull.

Second thing I became aware of was the softness surrounding me. Somehow I had appeared in a bed somewhere, and a fairly better crafted one than in my village, that was for certain. 

The third piece I started becoming aware of (again) was the pain. My legs and feet ached as if I had run a hundred miles. Places along my arms felt bruised, even without me moving them. At the corner of my mouth was a burning feeling, and the same sharp stinging sensation followed random places along my arms and neck, becoming more glaring if I went to shift or tense myself. The worst of the of it was the horrible, deep piercing pain around my ribs that made me intensely refuse to move any further.

I still hadn’t made the effort to pry open my eyes. No light shone through, it was still dark wherever I was. But my brain was finally catching up and reminding me of what had happened. How I had gotten to this miserable state.

The sound of a door lightly creaking open snagged my attention. Soft footsteps made their way to my side, sounding as if the owner was nervous but trying to remain as silent as possible. A slight creaking of wood that matched the door, a chair then, signaled that they had taken a seat, and a not-unpleasantly-cold hand came to rest upon mine. I recognized that hand.

Feeling as though, mentally, I was trying to pull myself up through some thick liquid, I finally slowly cracked my eyes open, blinking heavily as I took in my surroundings.

The stonework, the choice furnishings and colors........ the castle. My guest room. Alucard. I must have made it after all.

Dragging in another breath, feeling like an exhausting labor in itself, I rolled my head on the pillow as far as I could manage to better see my companion. His hand still on my mine, but the blonde was slouched in his chair as if drained, his head turned from mine and gazing out the window into space, hair falling like a curtain to block his face from view.

“Hello, my friend,” my voice was a mere rasp, the words scraping painfully up my throat, the burning in my split lip flaring as they moved. I attempted a smile best I could, but it was a weak effort.

At my words, his face snapped over, his hand barely tightening its hold as Alucard looked down at me, an odd expression flashing through his eyes, gone before I could decipher it, and gave a small ghost of a smile in return, but it wavered, struggling to hold the facade. 

“Care to explain?” His tone may have been light, but there was a heaviness to him, clinging to his frame, a tightness around his eyes. 

Loosing a heavy sigh, I tilted my head back over to face the ceiling again, but hesitantly watched his reaction out of my peripheral.

“The villagers..... somehow discovered my affinity for magic. It was raining at the time, so the usual witch pyre was a non-viable option. They simply decided they wanted more....... immediate results.”

Alucard narrowed his eyes, as if wanting to know the specifics. “...And?”

Letting out a sigh, I looked more directly at him. “And...... among other things.... I may or may not have been hit with a knife,” I conceded.

The change was nearly undetectable, but every inch of the dhampir tensed into something more lethal, his words ground out from behind his teeth.

“Were you now.”

Not knowing what else to possibly say, I gave a nod. Alucard remained still as a statue, but his eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly.

“I believe the technical term is ‘stabbed’, my dear,” he sighed, leaning back in his armchair, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well excuse me, Your Highness, it’s not like it was on purpose,” an unimpressed tone leaking into my voice, as I peered back over at him. “It was merely an unfortunate side effect to a handful of stupid mistakes.”

“Stupid how?”

I let out a long sigh. “I..... refused to use my magic on them, refused to defend myself with its aid. They may have been narrow-minded, overly violent arses, but they still had the faces of my neighbors. People I used to call ‘friend’, even.”

I pulled my gaze away from his form and faced the ceiling again. “I was hurt because I was a coward. That was the mistake, Adrian.”

A moment or two passed before I felt his hand envelope mine once again, only this time with more purpose behind it. Reluctantly, I rolled my head back over to look at the man before me, surprised to see the steady resolution that peered intently back.

“Y/N, you are not a coward, never shown yourself to be one. It was not so much a ‘mistake’ as it was proof that you are simply a better person than most,” the conviction punctuating each word he spoke. Before I could respond, Alucard gave a half smile, patting my hand lightly as he stood to head for the door. Before closing it, he glanced back over his shoulder at me, the smile still lingering.

“Rest as long as you need. And given the actions of your village, you are welcome to stay here as well, if you so choose. But despite what you choose to do, I will recommend you allow me to teach some non-magical means of defense, my dear.”

I gave a weak laugh in response, and Alucard gave a final nod and smile as he ducked out the door.


End file.
